Vitality Ruin
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 168 (16d10 + 80)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 9 (-1) | 20 (+5) | 6 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Athletics +8, Perception +5
Damage Resistances necrotic
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak
CR 9 (XP 5,000; PB +4)
Magic Resistance. The ruin has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ruin makes two Claw attacks and uses its Tendrils.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8, reach 5 ft. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage, and the target can't regain hit points until the end of its next turn.
Tendrils. Strength Saving Throw: DC 16, each creature of the ruin's choice in a 20-foot emanation that it can see. Failure: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage, and the target is pulled up to 20 feet toward the ruin.
REACTIONS
Vigor Drain. Trigger: A creature within 30 feet of the ruin drops to 0 hit points. Response - Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17. Failure: Roll a d6. The target's hit dice maximum is reduced by a number equal to the number rolled (to a minimum of 0). Then the ruin rolls those lost hit dice and regains hit points equal to the result. After every 10 days, the target regains one hit die lost this way.
Vitality Ruin
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 104 (11d10 + 44)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 9 (-1) | 18 (+4) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
Damage Resistances necrotic
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak
CR 6 (XP 2,300; PB +3)
Magic Resistance. The ruin has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ruin makes two Claw attacks and uses its Tendrils.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage, and the target can't regain hit points until the end of its next turn.
Tendrils. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature of the ruin's choice in a 20-foot emanation that it can see. Failure: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage, and the target is pulled up to 20 feet toward the ruin.
REACTIONS
Vigor Drain. Trigger: A creature within 30 feet of the ruin drops to 0 hit points. Response - Constitution Saving Throw: DC 15. Failure: Roll a d4. The target's hit dice maximum is reduced by a number equal to the number rolled (to a minimum of 0). Then the ruin rolls those lost hit dice and regains hit points equal to the result. After every 10 days, the target regains one hit die lost this way.
Vitality Ruin
Large • Aberration • Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 230 (20d10 + 120)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative -1 (9)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 9 (-1) | 22 (+6) | 6 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Athletics +9, Perception +6
Damage Resistances necrotic
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak
CR 12 (XP 8,400; PB +4)
Magic Resistance. The ruin has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The ruin makes two Claw attacks and uses its Tendrils.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage, and the target can't regain hit points until the end of its next turn.
Tendrils. Strength Saving Throw: DC 17, each creature of the ruin's choice in a 20-foot emanation that it can see. Failure: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage, and the target is pulled up to 20 feet toward the ruin.
REACTIONS
Vigor Drain. Trigger: A creature within 30 feet of the ruin drops to 0 hit points. Response - Constitution Saving Throw: DC 18. Failure: Roll a d8. The target's hit dice maximum is reduced by a number equal to the number rolled (to a minimum of 0). Then the ruin rolls those lost hit dice and regains hit points equal to the result. After every 10 days, the target regains one hit die lost this way.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.